216 Dr. A. Gunther on Reptiles from St. Croix, West Indies. 



throat are small, those of the breast and of the extremities 

 keeled. The ear-opening is very small, one-third only of the 

 width of the eye. The fingers and the toes have an entire and 

 unarmed disk. The tail is covered with smooth scales, rather 

 smaller than those of the ti*unk ; there is a series of larger ones, 

 plate-like, along the lower medial line. No femoral or anal 

 pores. 



I add to the statement of the coloration given above, that the 

 belly is uniform dirty white, and the tail minutely dotted with 

 blackish. Two specimens were in the Collection. 



lines. 



Distance between the extremity of the snout and the tympanum 2% 

 „ tympanum and the vent 9^ 



Length of the tail 13 



„ fore leg 3^ 



„ hind leg 4% 



" Of the Sphcerodactylus all we have to say is that it is not 

 very common. The specimens were captured in houses; but 

 we are inclined to believe it chiefly frequents the fields, and 

 especially the cane-pieces." 



" There are at least two other Keptiles in St. Croix, of which 

 we regret to say we did not bring home examples. 



" One is a Frog, of which we have never seen a living indivi- 

 dual, though it is very abundant, and may be heard at almost 

 all times of the night or day, by the side of every spring or 

 stream, where it is especially noisy in the mornings and even- 

 ings. The cause of its invisibility is doubtless owing to its sub- 

 terranean habits, and probably also to the fact, as Dr. Gunther 

 has well suggested, that when a sound proceeds from on or be- 

 neath the surface, the vibrations are communicated to the ground 

 equally in every direction ; so that there are but few ears so 

 acute as to detect the exact spot whence the noise issues. In- 

 stances of this sort are well known to naturalists ; and one need 

 only mention the cases of a Shrew, a Grasshopper Warbler 

 (Sylvia locustella), or a Cricket, to refer to a sufficient proof of 

 the fact. The cry of these frogs is somewhat similar to the 

 noise made by air-bubbles escaping from a small tube under 

 water, but with a deep metallic ringing about it ; and constantly 

 as we have heard, and often as we have tried to discover the 

 whereabouts of the musicians, we have failed to do so. After 

 floods, it is said that, the holes inhabited by these animals being 

 destroyed, they may easily be captured ; but without some such 

 favouring circumstances (which did not happen to us) any en- 

 deavour of the kind seems hopeless. 



u The other animal of which we did not bring home a speci- 

 men is a large lizard, called in the island a ' Guana/ possibly 



